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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 3rd, 2023–Mar 4th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

South Coast, North Shore, Sasquatch, Sky Pilot, Tetrahedron.

Storm slabs remain a concern going into the weekend.

Make conservative terrain choices as you seek out great riding.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Last weekend, a widespread natural cycle occurred throughout the region. Reports came in of very touchy human-triggered storm slabs (size 1 to 2) averaging 30 to 60 cm deep and up to 100 cm deep in wind-loaded areas.

Check out last Friday's North Shore Snowpack Update for a picture of the unusual snowpack setup leading into last weekend's storm.

Snowpack Summary

Saturday will see more snow falling and adding to the 90 to 120 cm that fell this past week. This snow was mostly dry and cold. Warming temperatures have increased the consolidation of the upper snowpack and may promote slab development.

This recent snow sits on a layer of concern made up of a crust with facets. It appears to be gaining strength, but this is a layer to watch out for.

The mid and lower snowpack is well-settled, strong, and consolidated.

Snowpack depths are reaching 250 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy, 15 to 25 cm accumulation, winds southwest switching to southeast 25 to 40 km/h, freezing level around 500 m.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, 5 cm accumulation, winds southeast 35 to 40 km/h, freezing level climbing to 900 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with late day sunny breaks, 2 to 5 cm accumulation, winds southeast 15 to 30 km/h, freezing level to 900 m.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud, trace accumulation, winds southeast 15 to 20 km/h, freezing level climbing to 1000 m by end of day.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid all avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.
  • Keep your guard up at lower elevations. Storms slabs have been reactive at all elevations.
  • Loose avalanches may start small but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.